Glitz and glamour no concern for Bellator champ Michael Chandler

Although Bellator lightweight champ Michael Chandler is confident his rematch with Eddie Alvarez could have headlined the promotion’s recently scrapped pay-per-view broadcast, he’s not disappointed to be fighting instead on Spike TV.

Chandler (12-0 MMA, 9-0 BMMA) said he spoke to his management team after news broke of the switch, which put his rematch with Alvarez (24-3 MMA, 8-1 BMMA) in the headliner spot of Bellator 106, and backs the promotion’s decision to delay its entry into the pay TV market. He said his paycheck “doesn’t change much” as a result. Saturday, he said, is just another tough fight.

And when Bellator, who scrapped when the plans when injured Tito Ortiz pulled out of a planned headliner with Quinton Jackson, decides to dip its toes into the world of PPV, he expects to be on the card. He’s put in the work to get there.

“If they put one on next year, I think they’d be a little crazy to not put me on it,” Chandler told MMAjunkie.com Radio. “So I’m not worried about it, man.”

Chandler doesn’t seem worried about much when it comes to show-business side of the fight industry, or his status within it. But maybe that’s because they’ve never played a starring role in his life as a professional athlete. While others fret about how to market themselves to a fickle fan base, he focuses on improving his skills as an MMA fighter and defending the title he won from Alvarez in 2011.

The glitz brought by his belt is a distant third, if that.

“It’s not that I think of myself negatively, or not a world champion,” Chandler said. “But I don’t really think about that. I think it just stems from wrestling. Wrestlers are nobodies in the sport world. Wrestlers are the lowest on the totem pole when it comes to college sports.”

While competing on the mats for the University of Missouri, he remembers a meet opposite Oklahoma State University. Together, the schools were respectively ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the country. By any standard, the tournament was a clash of giants, a collision of the country’s best talent.

Perhaps it’s that modest upbringing that separates him from other Bellator fighters looking to jump ship to the UFC at the first sign of interest. The Viacom-owned promotion lost its middleweight champion to the industry-leader and clashed in court with Alvarez over an offer to cross over. Meanwhile, Chandler signed a lucrative contract extension to stay put, and he frequently plays the role of goodwill ambassador during media appearances.

In turn, he’s one of Bellator’s most heavily promoted athletes. But he also aims to make an impact on the MMA world as one of the faces of the tournament-based organization.

“I look at myself like a champion, and I tell myself every day that God put me in this sport not just to be good, but to be great and extraordinary – and not just for myself and for the money and the notoriety, but to be able to reach people,” Chandler said.

When he fights Alvarez at Long Beach Arena in California, Chandler’s work is likely to be seen by far more fans than if Bellator had gone through with the PPV. A second win over Alvarez would further cement his reputation as the best lightweight the promotion has to offer. It might also get more fans matching him up in fantasy with his UFC counterparts.

The more he continues to succeed, the more he can count on the spotlight chasing him. But for now, he’s grateful for what he has and what’s ahead.

“I’m just so thankful that I have this opportunity, and I just realize that I have so much more work to do,” Chandler said. “I haven’t even scratched the surface. I’m just excited about all the hard work I have in front of me, and I don’t have time to sit around and pat myself on the back. But I promise I want to make a name for myself and create a legacy.”

MMAjunkie.com Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by “Gorgeous” George Garcia, MMAjunkie.com lead staff reporter John Morgan and producer Brian “Goze” Garcia. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.

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